


When Boys Will Be Boys

by Gildedmuse



Series: The Grocery Store Panic Dance (A Slice Of Life Medley) [3]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: But Lando Gets Leia, F/M, Grocery Shopping, IN SPACE!, Leia Doesn't Get Han, No Beta We Die Like A Million Voices Crying Out At Once, Slice of Life, Well Grocery Haggling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 03:43:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18652210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gildedmuse/pseuds/Gildedmuse
Summary: Everyone needs to eat at some time or another, and since food doesn’t magically appear at the table (well, most of the time), there must be shopping involved.





	When Boys Will Be Boys

**Author's Note:**

> [Originally posted to LJ in 2008 or so. Part of a series of domestic fluff/slice of life fics.]

**Step III – When Boys Are Being Boys**

  
“It smells like the bad end of a Bantha.”  
  
Lando laughs, offering Leia a hand down from the ship. She doesn’t take it. He didn’t think she would, but he had to offer anyway. Leia brought out the gentlemen in him. “Han said we needed to stop for food.”  
  
The young princess wrinkles her nose. It looks very regal on her. “And he choose here?”  
  
Lando shrugs. “It was the closest stop.”  
  
“It smells worse than the garbage shots on the Death Star,” Leia says. “You’re telling me something in this place is editable?”  
  
There he goes laughing again laughs. He finds it easy to laugh around Leia. “I make no such claims, your highness.” He motioned to the small city of tent that lined the side of the road. “But I suppose we should at least have a look?”  
  
Leia didn’t look practically fond of the idea. She glanced back at the Millennium Falcon like she expected Han to emerge and tell her this was some cruel joke. When that didn’t happen she sighs and says, “If we must.”  
  
The two take a walk down the long row of shops. They’re offered everything from used parts to handcrafted jewelry. After a while they manage to find a booth that contains something that looks similar to space packets of food. Leia picks one up, looking at it from all sides as if inspecting it for some sort of fault. Lando doesn’t blame her. He asks the four-armed alien behind the counter, “Where’d you get there.”  
  
“Honest trade,” The alien answers, picking up eight of the packets and waving them about Lando’s face. “Won’t find a better deal.”  
  
Leia snorted. “I doubt it.” The shopkeeper gives a low growl and Lando takes out his wallet to calm him down  
  
“We’re going to need a crate.”  
  
The alien mutters something and steps away from the booth to empty out one of the boxes piled up behind him. Leia gives Lando a look and Lando shrugs. “Money is a universal peace treaty.”  
  
“Very deep, Baron,” Leia says, picking up a handful of dried meals. “You come up with that yourself?”  
  
Lando smiles. “You know it as well as I do, princess. One of the first things you learn in government.”  
  
Leia shakes her head, but Lando can see the sides of her mouth turn up in a smile. He can’t keep the smile off of his own face.  
  
“There you go,” The shopkeeper says, handing the box over to Lando. Lando smiles and thanks him, handing over enough for a good eighty meals. Leia puts a few stacks in, and Lando can see the alien counting every one that goes in the crate before another group of travelers wonders over to try and bargain.  
  
Lando holds up a pack of Corellian dinners. “Han will appreciate these,” He says.  
  
“Why would I care?” Leia asks, busy making sure they can get as many into the box as possible.   
  
Lando raises an eyebrow, leaning onto the table to watch her avoid his eyes. “You can’t fool me, princess. Han almost had my head for looking at you, and if I know anything about Han-”  
  
“Which you clearly don’t.” Lando isn’t surprised when Leia sounds annoyed. He expected that much. He doesn’t expect her to stop loading the crate so that she can stand up at her full height, as unimpressive as that is, giving him a look to match her tone. Everything about her is calling him an idiot. Lando is more curious than hurt. “If you knew anything about Han you’d know why he flirts with me so much.”  
  
“I think I can see why he flirts with you,” Lando answers. It’s not so much a leering tease as it is the truth. Leia is a strong young woman with her mind firmly set and not about to change for anyone. She has her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. She is diplomatic when she needs to be and street tough when times call for it. She is the sort of girl you only saw in those holo-programs aimed at teenage girls with a purpose.  
  
Not too mention, of course, that she had the body to go with the rest of the package.  
  
Leia isn’t impressed by Lando’s admiration. “Have you noticed that whenever Captain Solo flirts with me Luke is always just leaving?” Lando shrugs. He isn’t really one to pay too close attention to his buddy’s flirting habits. Leia asks, “He never tries it when Luke’s around. Only when he’s gone, when Solo is upset.”  
  
“I don’t think it matters when-“ Lando is cut off by Leia’s loud sigh.  
  
“And Luke! He’s just as bad! Sure, everyone thinks he’s flirting but most of the time he treats me more like an older sister!”  
  
Lando laughs. “The kid isn’t good with girls. After being trapped on that hell of a planet, who would be? The only girls they get down there are green and shed.”  
  
Leia shakes her head. “You really don’t get it, do you?” She sighs again. This time it’s not one of her frustrated, pint up rage sighs. It’s low and soft. It’s a sigh that makes Lando want to hold her. He has more sense than to try that, of course, but the want is there.  
  
Leia plays with one of the packs of food, bending the foil and staring right through it. “They deserve each other, really,” she says. “Complete idiots, the both of them.”  
  
It finally starts to sink in with Lando what Leia is talking about. He laughs and starts to explain to Leia that as bright as she is, this is one of those times when she is completely wrong. Han isn’t the type to try and make some kid jealous like that. He isn’t the sort to flirt with someone else just to get a boy’s attention. He’s definitely not the kind to go for the fresh off a planet farm boy with a feisty temper and stubborn air to match Han’s.  
  
The laughter fades away when Lando’s thoughts catch up with him.   
  
He looks at Leia, who nods when she sees that Lando understands. Lando says the first thing he can think of, which is, “I’m sorry,” Leia drops the destroyed pack into the crate. She gives him a small, half smile. It’s the sort of smile that makes Lando not sorry at all.  
  
In fact, he thinks as they finished loading the crate and start back towards the ship, he is going to have to lock Han and Luke in a room together for a couple of hours, just to show them his gratitude.   
  



End file.
